“Alex, didn’t I tell you not to interact with those two men anymore?” Helen scolded as she led him back to the private dining room. Alex tilted his head up at her, wide-eyed with innocence. “Aunt Helen, you only said not to bring them to the corner to find you. You didn’t say I couldn’t meet them again.” Helen felt her words catch in her throat, momentarily stunned. She huffed in frustration and amended, “Well, I’m saying it now. From now on, don’t meet with those two men again. Got it? If you see them, stay far away!” Alex nodded solemnly, but inside, he was sure of something else entirely. Aunt Helen must be afraid that Mommy would find a boyfriend while she was still single. With a determined squeeze of Helen’s hand, Alex declared, “Don’t worry, Aunt Helen. I’ll help you find a boyfriend too. And even if I can’t, I’ll stay with you forever and take care of you when you’re old.” Helen froze, her forehead twitching as if her frustration was written all over her forehead
Before Alex could finish his sentence, Helen yanked him into the room in one swift motion. From her bedside table, she grabbed a bag of snacks and shoved it into Alex’s arms as a bribe. Both hands firmly gripping his tiny shoulders, she looked him in the eye with utmost seriousness. “Alex, forget about what happened this afternoon. Don’t bring it up again—especially not to anyone in the family. And absolutely not to Uncle Richard.”She could already imagine Richard’s relentless teasing if he got wind of it. Alex glanced at the bag of snacks in his arms, then cheekily held up two fingers, silently bargaining for a second bag. Helen narrowed her eyes at him, feigning irritation. “Fine, two bags.” Quickly, she stuffed another bag into his arms and shooed him out of the room. The door clicked softly behind him before Alex could say another word. Grinning from ear to ear, he looked at the two bags of snacks in his hands. His brother didn’t like snacks, so these were all his.
Haley gazed at her sleeping sons, their delicate faces and brows resembling Justin’s more than her own. The bond of blood was truly remarkable, she thought, her emotions swirling as she stood there in silence. After a while, she turned off the lights and left the room.Meanwhile, Justin and Zac finished their meeting and left the restaurant earlier than Evelyn’s group, sparing them a chance encounter. Yet, as Justin exited, he glanced back inside, hoping for a glimpse of a small figure that never appeared.Returning to their hotel, Zac grabbed two cases of beer and joined Justin in his room. He was already tipsy from their business dinner, but now he drank even more. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes glistened as he slumped on the couch, beer bottle dangling from his hand.The bitterness in his heart bubbled to the surface as he turned to Justin, rambling incoherently. “Why did Helen disappear too? Tell me… why?” He tugged at Justin’s shirt collar, his voice trembling and punctu
Helen shook her head, her tone flustered. “No, it’s not like that…” “Not like that? Then why did you leave me? Five years, Helen. Was I not good enough for you?” Zac’s lips pouted in mock indignation, but his voice betrayed genuine hurt. Helen’s gaze locked onto his slightly parted lips, which glistened with a subtle allure under the dim light. They seemed almost hypnotic, a magnet pulling her closer. His voice, however, broke the spell. It was so irritatingly loud, drowning out her thoughts. She frowned. “If he wouldn’t stop talking, then she’d make him stop.”The idea formed quickly, and she acted on it just as fast. Her hands flew up, cupping his face, as she leaned in. But no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t close the distance between them. Frustration bubbled in her chest. If she couldn’t get to him, then she would make sure he came to her. With determination, she yanked his face closer and puckered her lips. *Thud!A plush toy smacked against Helen’s f
After breakfast, everyone went about their day—some heading to work, others focusing on studies. Unlike most days, Chase didn’t accompany Wilfred to the office. Instead, he began his first session learning computer skills from Richard. By the time the dining room emptied, only Helen, still nibbling on her breakfast, and Alex, deliberately lingering, remained.“Aunt Helen, can we go out to play today?” Alex asked with a big, hopeful grin as he leaned closer.“Not happening,” Helen replied firmly, easily seeing through his ploy. “You should focus on finishing the homework your mom assigned. When her art exhibition wraps up in a few days, she’ll check your work. If it’s not done, you’ll have to face her punishment.”Alex shrank back slightly, his shoulders stiffening. That sounded serious. *In the small study, Alex sat at his child-sized desk, begrudgingly working on his assignments. The desk next to his sat empty. Chase was off in Richard’s computer room, absorbing new skill
“How about I treat you to lunch?”“Sure!” Alex exclaimed, completely forgetting the promise he had made to the guards at the back gate.Justin pulled out his phone and called Zac, who was still working inside the hospital. “You’ll need to handle lunch on your own today. I’ve got a last-minute lunch meeting.”Zac, in the middle of closing a file and grabbing his briefcase, replied, “Hold on, I’ll wrap things up here and join you…” But before he could finish, the line went dead. “Hello? What the—don’t just ditch me!” Zac groaned at the disconnected call.Justin rolled down the window and called out, “William, drive.” *Meanwhile, Helen was busy working from home in her study. The gallery’s invitations and promotional materials for the art show had already been finalized. Besides the invited guests, tickets for the event were available online for a premium price. After confirming her post-exhibition schedule, Helen shut her laptop. Time had flown by while she worked, and before s
“He doesn’t have a dad?” Justin was stunned to realize how unfortunate Alex's circumstances were. No wonder he had never seen any family with Alex the three times they had met—only the elusive "aunt" whose voice he had heard but never seen in person.If he ever had a child, Heidi would probably carry the kid around 24/7 just to show them off to her wealthy socialite friends. “What am I even thinking?” He mocked himself silently. “The woman I loved most died in the earthquake. I’ll never have children in this lifetime.”With that thought, his gaze toward Alex grew even softer, full of a rare tenderness.After they finished lunch, with Justin deliberately taking his time because he didn’t want the meal to end, he decided to call Alex’s aunt. He was concerned someone might be worried about the boy’s whereabouts and only dialed the number after Alex agreed.Meanwhile, back at the estate, the security guards reported no sign of Alex inside or outside the premises. Helen was brainst
Back at the estate, Richard hung up the phone and casually tossed it into Helen’s arms. Helen stood rooted in place, her gaze fixed on a spot on the carpet as if lost in thought. It wasn’t until Richard called her name twice that she snapped out of her daze. “Helen? Helen?” “Ah!” She swatted at him in irritation. “What’s with your face so close to mine? You scared me!” Richard, unfazed, raised an eyebrow and looked at her puzzledly. “What were you thinking about? You didn’t even hear me calling you.” Then, as if a lightbulb went off in his head, his expression shifted, and he let out a sly chuckle. “Wait a second—have you been acting weird since last night? Don’t tell me… you’re in love! Who’s the guy? Come on, spill. As your brother, it’s my duty to vet him for you.” He leaned in, resting his elbow on her shoulder with a teasing grin. Helen rolled her eyes and shoved him away. “Go play your Batman role somewhere else. Stop gossiping.” Even being pushed off d
“That’s my son, alright! Hahaha!” Harry exclaimed.*The sky was heavy and gray, thick with the pressure of an approaching storm. The situation hadn’t been fully resolved, and they wouldn’t be heading home that night.William drove them into the city and stopped in front of a hotel. Just after they stepped out and entered the lobby, raindrops began pounding against the ground.The four of them stood at the front desk to book rooms. Before Sam could speak, Justin stepped forward and asked, “It’s pouring out there—I'm guessing you’re running low on rooms?”The front desk clerk blinked, caught off guard by the question. But her professional instincts kicked in quickly, and she offered a polite, practiced smile. “Sir, we have plenty of rooms available. How many would you like?”“Four,” Haley answered for them.Moments later, the clerk handed over four key cards. “Four deluxe suites. Please take these.”Sam helped collect the keys, and the four of them headed toward the elevators.
“Didn’t you say Justin had lost his memory? And that woman—she’s just a paper tiger, right? So how the hell did everything fall apart?”Harry’s expression turned cold on the other end of the line. “What do you mean, what should you do? You failed to handle it, and now you have the nerve to ask me for help? Figure it out yourself!”“Vice President, I only called because I really don’t know what to do!” the project lead said, panic rising in his voice. “You were the one who told me Justin had amnesia! Now that the plan’s gone south, you can’t just throw me under the bus!”Harry’s voice turned icy. “Exactly. You botched something as critical as relocation compensation and delayed a major international project. What do you think the new female president is going to do? You think she’ll just let it slide? You’re lucky if she doesn’t fire you on the spot.”The project lead’s heart dropped.“I'm sorry. Please, I'm begging you. Please help me. I shouldn't have snapped at you earlier
The arrogance the village chief had shown earlier was completely gone now.“Look at the situation we’re in… what are we supposed to do?” he asked, his face heavy with worry.His son was currently in college—a time when money was tight. His family owned a large plot of land, and their relocation compensation had totaled over three million.Honestly, he had been satisfied with that amount. Once his son graduated and got a job, he planned to buy him an apartment outright in the city so he could settle down and start a family. There would even be enough left to buy a place in the county for himself and his wife to retire in comfort.But then, late last night, the project lead had knocked on his door and convinced him—and several other village leaders—to rally everyone into demanding more money. The logic was simple: with so many villagers on their side, if they stirred up trouble after signing the contracts and receiving the payouts, RC Corporation—facing construction deadlines—would
“You’re a woman—you don’t understand. We’ve farmed this land for generations. It’s not just about crops—this is where our ancestors are buried. And one day, we’re supposed to be buried here too. You really think you can just throw some money at us and buy out our whole village?“What about our family graves? Where are we supposed to be buried after we die? You want this land, then you’d better give us extra compensation for relocating our ancestors’ graves and cover burial plots for us too.”Haley almost laughed from sheer disbelief.So now RC Corporation was expected to handle not just their ancestors’ graves, but their own future burial plots as well? What next—arrange burial land for their children and grandchildren too?She raised an eyebrow, her smile sharp with anger. “That’s your only demand?”The village chief raised a hand, trying to sound reasonable.“You’re young and easy on the eyes, so we’ll call you ‘miss’—don’t take it the wrong way. We’re not trying to be difficul
The land relocation and planning process hadn’t just started today. Measurements were taken and notices were issued over two weeks ago. The compensation price had been discussed and agreed upon in advance. No one had raised objections.Two weeks should have been plenty of time for the villagers to find a new place to live and move out. So why had they waited until after the money was paid to suddenly cause a scene?“This... it’s a long story,” the project lead said awkwardly. “President, it’ll be easier if you come see for yourself.”As he spoke, he led them forward into the crowd.“Make way! Make way! This is the president of our corporate headquarters. If you have any concerns, tell her directly. Whatever we can do, we’ll do our best to meet your needs!”Hearing that, Haley shot a sharp look at his back, clearly displeased. She made a mental note of it and then turned her attention back to the villagers surrounding them.The four of them followed the project lead to a makeshi
“Something happened?” Haley gasped, then quickly grabbed the still-confused Justin and headed out to meet Sam.“Wait, you’re just leaving?” Helen called out as the two of them rushed off, saying it was a company emergency. “You haven’t even finished picking things out! Are you coming back for dinner or not?”Meanwhile, Alex, sitting on the carpet, squinted happily as he watched his mom pull Uncle Justin by the wrist. His face lit up with that unmistakable shipping-their-romance expression. In his mind, their relationship was definitely making progress!*At RC Corporation’s headquarters, by the time Haley and Justin arrived, Sam was already waiting with a stack of documents in hand, flipping through them as he stood by.“President, thank goodness you’re here.”“What’s going on?” Haley asked urgently.“It’s the international project site,” Sam began. “The land acquisition contracts were all signed today, and the compensation money was deposited into the villagers’ accounts.
A message notification chimed—it was a batch of photos from the private investigator they had hired. The pictures documented Justin and Haley’s entire outing that day.There were shots of the school building, the classroom, the playground, the garden, the restaurant, and even the front of the Yates family estate. In every candid photo, Justin looked like a child—his behavior was playful and immature, his expression wide-eyed and innocent.The investigator soon followed up with another message. “I couldn’t get inside the Yates estate, only managed to get shots from outside.”One photo showed Justin opening the passenger door and getting in, while Haley sat in the driver’s seat.Harry narrowed his eyes, cold and dangerous, and passed the phone to Jacob. His voice dripped with menace. “Looks like Justin really has no memory left. Hmph. A tiger who’s forgotten how to fight might as well be a housecat.”Jacob’s tone was just as ruthless. “We need to act fast. We can’t afford to wait
“So really, I should be thanking you,” Justin said softly. “For giving birth to Chase and Alex… for giving me a family, and a home again.”He pulled her into a tighter hug, so tight it was like he wanted to merge her into himself, to never let her go.For once, the tension between them faded into a rare calm. Haley didn’t push him away right away. It was as if she was slowly beginning to accept him.Only after the heavy emotions settled did Haley gently pull away. She got into the car and drove off, heading toward the city.As the sky darkened, she didn’t drive back to Mistletoe Villa. Instead, she stopped in front of a restaurant they used to visit often—back when she was still Emily Yates, and stayed by Justin’s side as his lover.Justin blinked, clearly surprised and caught off guard. A flicker of recognition flashed in his eyes, but he quickly hid it, replacing it with a confused, innocent look.“Sis, weren’t we going to the night market to get your favorite snacks? Why’d we
At the very center of the photo stood Emma, a year younger than the rest. Beside her, shoulder to shoulder, was the real Justin Yates in his college years.His expression darkened for a split second before he caught himself and quickly masked it. He covered it well—furrowing his brows, pretending to study the photo with a blank look, like he wanted to remember something but couldn’t quite grasp it.“This picture… I don’t remember it,” he said, feigning confusion. “But wait—why are you in it, too?” He pointed at the image, his tone naive and questioning.Haley lowered her gaze and answered calmly, “It’s your college graduation photo. From Haven State. The girl standing next to you is Emma.“She’s the one who saved your life. You spent years searching for her… the ‘one true love’ you couldn’t forget.”She didn’t even know what she felt as she said it. Maybe she just wanted to help him recover what he had lost. Maybe that was all.But Justin shook his head, flustered. “No, that’s